Optimising admissions in the digital age

For hundreds of thousands of Canadian students, the first step toward actualising their entrance into adulthood, and ultimately the workforce, is the college admissions process. Applying to their top universities can be exhilarating, especially if the school offers a seamless admissions process from start to finish. And for a majority of applicants, this means a digital process. Unfortunately, many post-secondary institutions still rely on antiquated application processes that use antiquated technology: the never-ending paper trail. In a digital world fuelled by instant responses (and instant gratification), potential students no longer expect (or want) to receive notification via the post. In reality, however, millions of Canadian students find themselves stuck in a not-so-cute film trope from the 1990s: how much longer do I have to stand next to the post box awaiting my snail mail acceptance letter?

Paper Admissions: A By-gone Era of Woe

In the absence of a streamlined, digitised system, your academic institution has likely encountered some, if not all, of the following complications:

Loss of Top Students

Millennial students have high expectations when it comes to technology. They have grown up with it and use it for everything – from ordering food to hiring taxis to talking with friends. Admissions is the first contact a student has with a university, and a paper-based process is a clear signal that the university is geared more toward their parents’ generation than their own.

The Devil’s in the (De)Snails

Relying on the transmittal of time-sensitive, critical information via snail mail draws out the admissions process – not just for the potential student but also for the university. A student may accept another university’s digital offer, while your acceptance letter is still travelling in the back of a truck. Bottom line: the speed of the admissions process can help determine which university a candidate chooses to attend.

Money Sink

Significant costs are involved in printing, distributing, collecting, and storing paper documents generated during the admissions process. Whether you have hundreds or thousands of applicants, the overall financial drain on the university is staggering.

Interdepartmental Inefficiencies

Throughout the admissions process, files often need to be searched for and retrieved across multiple departments. In the absence of an intuitive, digitised records management system, this search and retrieval process can steal valuable employee time. In addition, personnel files may be lost, creating frustrations at the very least and legal problems at the very worst.

Missing Data

No one likes an incomplete application. In a paper-based world, university personnel spend an inordinate amount of time tracking down information from candidates, notifying them of missing documents, and often, following up a second time. With a digitised admissions system, a candidate has access to their admissions application and can track their status with ease.

Ricoh Transports Your University into the Digitised Admissions World

Consider us specialists who understand the education industry and your challenges. We’ve been in the business of education for decades and bring our expertise to every solution we propose. With Ricoh, your admissions team can shake off the dusty paper trail and implement a state-of-the-art, digitised enterprise content management (ECM) system to be used with each and every one of your candidates. Our solutions team will work with your personnel to save time, money, and – most importantly – to secure top students to your academic programs.

Digitised Records

We can develop an ECM solution with a secure electronic repository for your institution’s records, scaling our process to meet your immediate and long-term needs. Scanning files can be handled on- and off-site with ease.

Effective Filing Systems

Effective categorisation saves employees hours spent on the search and retrieval of documents. We can work with you to develop an intuitive file structure to fit your institution’s needs, allowing employees to access digital documents across multiple departments. You can opt to replicate your current paper file structure in an electronic fashion to make the transition process easier for employees.

Automated Responses

It’s no secret that implementing automated responses into your business model can save vital employee time. With Ricoh’s solutions, university administrators can track applicants as they go through different stages of the approval process. When a step is finished, the person responsible for the next step is automatically notified. A notification is also sent out to applicants, when they pass through these stages – this not only keeps students aware of their status, but also helps reinforce the technological adeptness of the university to the student.

Streamlined Forms

Administrators can develop customised electronic application forms with built-in verification. These electronic forms can automatically alert an applicant if information was entered incorrectly. With instant validation, mistakes are easily avoided – reducing costs as well as ensuring all students have the right documents submitted at the right time.

Get Answers Quickly

Your admissions office can upload FAQ’s, so common questions about the application process can be answered instantly – a valuable time savings for university administrators, applicants, and even parents.

Personalised Email Correspondence

With Ricoh’s technologies, your admissions team can create personalised emails, which are automatically distributed to students when they are accepted. These emails are distributed quickly – making snail mail wait times a thing of the past.

Cost Savings

Storing documents digitally eliminates expensive storage costs.

Safe & Secure

We use cutting edge technologies to ensure your data is extremely secure in an electronic repository or in the Cloud.

Ricoh’s cutting-edge strategies have been developed while gaining experience in supporting over 100 Canadian colleges and universities. When we say we can optimise your admissions process to support attracting the brightest students while saving time and money, we’re saying it from a place of confidence. Call a Ricoh representative today to bring your university into the 21st century.